Statewide, Iowa – All-terrain and utility terrain vehicles can be a lot of fun and very useful for a variety of jobs, but they can also be dangerous.
A state report shows many more Iowans are buying the machines, while a University of Iowa study finds the state’s averaging more than 200 ATV and UTV crashes every year, with 20 deaths in Iowa last year.
Registered Nurse Kelly Hilsabeck is a trauma injury prevention coordinator at Emplify Health by Gundersen.
Excessive speed is often a major contributing factor to most deaths involving these vehicles and she says they can be even more dangerous based on where you’re riding them.
Utility terrain vehicles are rapidly gaining in popularity in Iowa. The DNR says there were about 39,000 UTVs registered in the state in 2022, while last year, that number rocketed above 57,000, an increase of almost 50-percent.
Hilsabeck says it’s vital, especially for younger riders, to abide by the rules and understand the powerful machines.
The Iowa DNR offers what it calls the Off-highway Vehicle Reference Guide, available free online, along with an online safety course. Riders between 12 and 17 are required to complete an ATV safety course and carry their certificate with them while riding on public land.
Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
